Rwanda has commenced a week-long period of national mourning and reflection to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, one of the most tragic episodes in modern African history.
President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame, together with the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Kigali and representatives of survivors’ organisations, laid wreaths at the Kigali Genocide Memorial—final resting place of over 250,000 victims.
Following the wreath-laying, the President and First Lady lit the symbolic Flame of Remembrance, which will remain alight for the 100 days of commemoration, reflecting the duration of the genocide in 1994. The flame symbolises the resilience, unity, and enduring hope of the Rwandan people.
In his address, President Kagame offered a resolute pledge: “The genocide will not happen again—not because its perpetrators have ceased to exist, but because Rwandans have chosen unity and resolve over division.” He added, “What did not kill us 31 years ago hardened us. We are prepared for adversity, and we shall never again perish without resistance.”
Jean-Damascene Bizimana, Rwanda’s Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, emphasised the pivotal role that colonial powers played in institutionalising ethnic divisions, thereby laying the ideological groundwork for genocide. He issued a fervent appeal to the international community to combat genocide denial and ensure that fugitives who partook in the atrocities are brought to justice.
Freddy Mutanguha, a survivor and now an advocate based at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, recounted his harrowing childhood experience of discrimination and persecution in Rutsiro district. He offered a message of hope and resilience: “Through our pain, we have found purpose; through remembrance, we have found strength.”
In 2014, both the United Nations and the African Union designated 7 April as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Over a span of merely 100 days in 1994, over one million individuals—primarily Tutsis and moderate Hutus—were brutally massacred by Hutu extremists in a genocide that shocked the conscience of the world.
As the nation remembers its darkest chapter, Rwanda continues to advocate for truth, reconciliation, and global justice, while reaffirming its commitment to unity and a future free from the scourge of ethnic violence..
